


We Were Just ice skating

by Sharingstories2



Category: Sofia the First (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26102422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharingstories2/pseuds/Sharingstories2
Summary: From the scene in front of them, they could only draw one conclusion. Princess Sofia and Prince Hugo had been kidnapped. " TW Child Abuse, Underage sexual activity, kidnapping. THIS IS DARK AND NOT FOR CHILDREN
Relationships: Hugo/Sofia the First
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

It had been just like any ordinary day; the royals had been busy with preparations for Sofia’s 12th birthday. The castle had been abuzz with excitement for the youngest princess to turn 12. The girl in question was supposed to be helping Amber plan but she had sneaked away. Apparently Hugo was more important. Ice skating had been taking up most of her time, Amber would like to be annoyed at her sister. Yet she had never seen her smile so much, Hugo seemed to really boost Sofia’s confidence. The royals all hoped that the boy would ask Sofia out, but he had not so far. So, the royals all watched the two in anticipation.  
As the night drew to a close Amber began to worry, Sofia never stayed out past dark, ever. Yet the darker it got; the longer Sofia was away. So, Amber alerted her parents that the princess had yet to return home. They in turn began looking around the castle for her. When they realised she was not there, they sent out the guards to look for her. They informed the king that she was not in any of the usual places so together the Royal family decided to look at the ice rink, she might have lost track of time and still be practicing. When they got there however they nearly collapsed. Sofia was nowhere in sight, but blood was splattered on the ice. Two pairs of ice skates were flung from one side of the rink to the other. Most importantly Sofia’s most prized possession lay on the floor. The amulet of Avalor. From the scene in front of them, they could only draw one conclusion. Princess Sofia and Prince Hugo had been kidnapped. 

It had been a whole year that they had been gone and things were vastly different. The castle lacked the spark Sofia had brought. Security measures were tripled in the wake of the kidnapping. James and Amber had a guard everywhere they went. Nobody other than Royals were allowed in the castle and everyone in Dunwiddie had been questioned. It had been a year and they were no closer to finding the pair, Hugo’s family had been working tirelessly to find them as had the Royals. It was no use; they were still missing. It had been a year, and everything seemed broken, it had been a year and Sofia should be turning thirteen. A teenager and she could not even celebrate it. It had been a year and Amber was sat in her room, staring at Sofia’s necklace. She jumped when James walked in and sat beside her. He placed a hand over hers in solidarity. If anyone was deeply hit by the situation it was James. He had lost one of his best friends and his little sister. He had tried to shoulder some of his dad’s responsibilities so that his father did not crumble under the stress. He had tried comforting his stepmother and sister. He had helped everyone minus himself, James was the first-person Sofia really opened up to in the castle. She In return had taught him the importance of friendship and dreams. Amber looked at her twin.   
“Do you think that wherever she is, she’s happy?” she asked. James raised his eyebrow and gulped.   
“I want to think so Amber, I really do”  
“But?” she probed. He looked down  
“There was so much blood and as much as I like to think that Hugo finally admitted his feelings and they ran off together…. It’s just not plausible.” He admitted. Amber sighed  
“Do you think she knew that we loved her? That we are glad she’s our sister.”  
“Yeah… I think she knows.” There was a moment of silence between the siblings before James spoke.  
“I went to see Cedric” Amber looked up in surprise. After Sofia disappeared Cedric had tried every spell to track her, but they would not work. After he became depressed, giving up on magic all together and barely leaving his room unless specifically requested by king Roland.   
“How’s he holding up?” she asked. He shook his head.  
“Not well, when I got there his room was a mess, he was trying the tracking spell again and getting annoyed that it didn’t work” Amber growled. It was not fair, Sofia should be home, celebrating. Cedric should be trying to win the kings favour and the world should be happy dam it.   
James pulled his hand away from hers  
“We’ll find her Amber, I promise!” Amber glanced at the amulet next to her, tears in her eyes.   
“How can you say that! You can’t promise that James!” she shouted. James took a deep breath  
“I can, Sofia will come home, just trust me.” At that the younger twin left the room as Amber sunk to the ground in despair.

It had been 2 years since that night in Ambers room. Many things had changed, James had become a Knight and Amber was named next in line for the throne. Miranda had become withdrawn and began taking a step back from her duties. The loss of her child slowly crippling her. The King tried to remain strong but was slowly crumbling too. Cedric had come out of his depression and began doing good deeds in Sofia’s name, trying to keep her name alive. Things were starting to become normal, well as normal as they could be, considering the circumstances.   
Things were about to change, however. Amber was in the throne room with her father, helping him with his kingly tasks when a knight ran in. They looked at up at him and before Roland could ask why he was there the knight spoke up.  
“We’ve found them Sire; we’ve found the prince and princess!”


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter has TW for mentions of rape, read at own risk.  
After the announcement one of two things happened. Firstly, the castle shut down, heightening their security. They had lost the princess once and they would not lose her again. Two Hugo’s parents had charged through the castle, demanding to see their son. Roland however had not let them which ha incited their fury. That fury was quelled however when Roland took them aside and explained. He explained that the two of them had been rushed to the infirmary and were unconscious. The best doctors and nurses in the land were currently operating on them but it did not look good. Roland explained that he had only had a glimpse at them, but they were littered with scars and bruises and looked severely under fed. They began to relent in their fury after being told that.  
Miranda had appeared in the waiting room at some point and had yet to speak, this was monumental. Yes, whilst James and Amber were her children, she had not carried them. Not that, that made much of difference but just as Amber and James held a different place in Roland’s heart from Sofia. They also held a different place in the queen’s heart. If Sofia died the queen would go with her.   
Cedric had appeared and had marched straight into the surgical room to help; he was not a surgeon. His sorcery though could perhaps help. Bailywick was handing everyone refreshments and trying to lighten the mood. It was hard though, Bailywick loved Sofia like his own.  
The twins were sat in a corner, not speaking. Whilst everyone would lose a daughter and or friend if Sofia died they would lose so much more. Sofia came tumbling into their lives when they needed her most. She taught them that kindness and strength could be the same thing. She taught them that helping their people is what royalty should do, regardless of what help is needed. She taught them about adventure and dreams, dreams beyond being a prince and princess. Most importantly she taught them about love and laughter. The pair of them loved their father but he was so busy being king that the castle could sometimes feel lonely. Sofia brought a spark to the castle that literally set fire to their lives.

They all waited in the waiting room for thirteen hours. On the fourteenth hour they grew impatient and on the sixteenth the surgeon entered. Roland got to him before anyone else could.  
“Are they okay?” he asked. The surgeon sighed.  
“Is there some place private we can talk your majesty. Some of what I’m about to tell you may be very sensitive and you may not want others to know.” Roland looked around the room and then back to the surgeon.  
“It’s okay, I trust these people!” he said softly. The surgeon nodded   
“They are both still alive. Both the prince and princess are covered in many scars that will take time to heal. Some scars look fairly old however some scars look new, as in less than a week old. They are both severely malnourished, Hugo has a broken leg, his muscles have weakened to the point that his body has been in effect eating itself. His ear drum has burst meaning he has lost hearing in one of his ears and he seems to have suffered some form of drowning as his lungs were filling with water.” He then paused before turning to the queen.  
“Sofia has sustained the same injuries, minus the hearing loss. Her foot is severely infected and after performing a test on them both we found that there is severe trauma to Sofia’s pelvic and vaginal area. This means that she has been sexually assaulted at some point. By the severity of the trauma we do not think it was a one-off occurrence. When we examined Hugo, we found he had not been sexually assaulted and that he had not assaulted Sofia.” Everyone paled at the list of extensive injuries. They had hoped that maybe the pair had run off together, but they knew that was a fool’s dream. This though was much worse than they could have imagined. How could they still be alive after suffering so much?. Bailywick stepped forward  
“And how do we proceed from here? Will they ever get better?” he asked. The surgeon sighed  
“They will recover physically; it will take time however and for a long time they will be extremely weak. Mentally is a different battle, this is a traumatic event and by the looks of it, it was recurring over the time they were gone. They may never recover mentally. All I can suggest is being there for them, making them comfortable and working with them. Over time you may find that certain things will hurt more than help them. It is a process” the king thanked the surgeon who then left the royal family in silence.   
They all stared at the ground thinking one thing, just how were they supposed to help the prince and princess?.


	3. Chapter 3

Amber was not a patient person, which is why waiting for Sofia to wake up was agonising. She had been home for 4 weeks and in those weeks Amber was beginning to lose hope. She knew that Sofia was not the only one suffering, Hugo was in pain to. It was difficult to remember that for Amber sometimes. She used to blame Hugo for what happened if Sofia didn’t go ice skating she never would have been kidnapped. It was silly she knew but it felt good to have someone to blame. That was until she was woke up at 4AM by an earth-shattering yell. She rushed to find out what was happening and what she found made her sick. Hugo had woken but he looked dazed and confused, he had ripped out his IV. His arm was gushing blood and he held his pillow as if it would protect him. The nurses were trying to calm him, but it would not work. Amber was surprised he could stand given the circumstances. He kept screaming Sofia’s name over and over. Amber suddenly had an idea, she ran back to her room and grabbed the amulet and a picture of Sofia. She then ran back to Hugo and ran past the nurses. They tried to stop her, but Amber was on a mission.   
“Hugo!” she yelled. He appeared to not have heard her and that’s when she remembered what the doctors had said. He may not be able to hear properly, so she stood in front of him, as his eyes glinted dangerously, and he went to push her away. Amber flinched but held up a picture of Sofia, stopping him in his tracks. He grabbed the picture and stumbled back to his bed. Amber pulled out her phone and began typing, she then showed the message to her friend.  
Do you want to see Sofia?   
He nodded and she typed out another sentence  
I will take you to her, but you need to calm down. No one will hurt you Hugo, you just need to let the nurses help and then you can go to her.  
He gulped and looked up at her, as if seeing her for the first time. A look of recognition flashed across his face.   
“A-mer” he stuttered. She nodded, thanking god he recognised her. He pointed to the nurses  
“Ey ep” She frowned, sad he sounded so scared. She nodded and typed something else in her phone.  
I do not know if you can hear me, so I’ll have to type. They will help you and I will not leave  
“O-miss” he asked. She nodded and gently lowered Hugo onto his bed. The nurses sighed, relived, and began hooking Hugo up to the equipment. Amber brought the prince a wheelchair and he glanced at her in embarrassment. She simply shrugged and helped him into it, then began pushing him through the darkened halls of the castle. They stopped just outside Sofia’s bedroom and Amber took a deep breath. She pushed him in and let out a small chuckle as Hugo yelled her name. She pushed him further towards Sofia. As he tried to get out of the chair, she stopped him.  
No, you will hurt yourself and Sofia, I’m sorry  
He nodded and settled in his chair, grabbing Sofia’s hand. Amber smiled at the sight, given the circumstances it was kind of sweet. She then turned to the servant’s present.  
“Get a hospital bed in here, Hugo will be staying with her” they tried to argue, saying it was inappropriate, but she silenced them with a glare. Propriety was not on her top 10 issues at the moment. Making sure Hugo and Sofia survived the night however was.   
Once they had arranged a bed for Hugo he fell asleep but not once in the entire process did he let go of Sofia’s hand. It was then that Amber decided Hugo was not to blame. It seemed he lover Sofia just as much as she did.


	4. Chapter 4

Four weeks after Hugo re-entered the world Sofia had yet to join him. She lay in her bed slipping further and further away. The royal family tried to remain hopeful. She wasn’t dead, yet. Still it was heart-breaking knowing Hugo’s family had gotten the prince back, but they hadn’t gotten the princess.   
Since Hugo had woken up he was slowly getting better, he could now walk, albeit with some assistance and for only short periods of time. Still progress was progress. His scars had began healing and he could eat liquid foods such as soup or custard. Still he couldn’t talk properly, his speech was slightly better, but it was still broken. The only good thing was that his hearing was getting back to normal meaning he could have a conversation.  
Whilst he progressed physically he was still scarred emotionally. He would jump at loud noises and would cry if it were dark. He also refused to leave Sofia; he would barely let anyone touch her. If a nurse came in Hugo would panic but James or Amber always managed to calm him down. They had tried getting information out of him, but he would shut down. James decided that he couldn’t wait any longer to investigate so he left his room and tracked down a guard. The guard that had found Hugo and Sofia.   
James found the guard in the break room, upon entering all the guards stood to attention. He smiled lightly  
“Aedes, no need for that” he commanded. They relaxed uneasily and James walked past them to the young guard he needed.  
“What’s your name?” he asked. The soldier blinked  
“My name is Samson Sire” he told James politely. James nodded  
“I need your help Samson, I need to know what you saw when you found them” Samson paled, his eyes turned dark.  
“I have already told the king and the captain everything I know your majesty”  
“I know but I don’t want you to just tell me, I want you to show me Samson” the older man frowned. He wasn’t sure that was good idea and when he said so James merely used his title to get what he wanted. So begrudgingly Samson took James to where he found them.  
When they arrived, James jumped off his horse, landing in a pool of mud. Samson smiled wryly  
“Are you okay Prince James?” he asked. James nodded and shook off the mud before walking forward. It was kind of creepy, he didn’t know what he expected when he was told they were going to the forest. It certainly wasn’t dead trees in the middle of spring. He looked to samson.  
“How did you find them?” James asked. Samson hung his head.  
“It was an accident; I was out hunting with my father. We were about to go home when a rabbit ran up to us. He seemed scared but we thought that he was scared of being killed by us. Following him were two birds who kept chirping. The rabbit started tugging on my pants which was weird, since when can rabbits do that?. So, I went to swat it away when the bird started chirping louder and flew away. I followed them to see what had gotten them so irritated. That’s when I found them. Animals were stood around them, it looked as if they were guarding the prince and princess.” James frowned, that was very weird. The bodies should’ve been the animals next meal, he had never heard of wild animals protecting humans before.   
“Were they conscious?” he asked. Samson nodded and James frowned, why had the animals protected them? That wasn’t normal. He tried remembering what the doctor had told him and suddenly he had an idea. He turned to samson  
“Is there a river or ocean near here?” he asked. Samson pointed North  
“Yeah! It connects us to the nearest kingdom”  
“Which is?” he replied. Samson hung his head  
“I do not know off the top of my head your majesty” James nodded.  
“That’s okay Sam, get some knights together and search the ocean for a boat or dingy, I think we may find some answers there but for now I think we better get back.” The knight nodded and together they road back. When they got to the castle however it seemed empty. As James ventured into the castle he realised that it wasn’t empty, instead his family had congregated outside Sofia’s room. His heart dropped; he ran forward to find Sofia’s room in disarray. A plate was on the floor, smashed. Sofia’s covers were upturned, and Hugo wasn’t in his bed. Upon further inspection he found Sofia in Hugo’s arms on the floor. She was shaking and sobbing, anyone that tried to go near them was stopped as Hugo growled at them. James glared at a doctor trying to sneak up behind them. He turned to Amber  
“What happened?” he asked. She turned to him, tears in her eyes.   
“She woke up and freaked out, screaming, and throwing things. Hugo wasn’t in his bed and she was screaming for him. We got him from therapy, and she threw herself in his lap and they’ve been there ever since” James gulped. He had hoped when Sofia woke up she would feel safe, turns out that wasn’t the case.   
Cedric appeared out of the corner of James’s eye and he saw Roland give him a nod. Slowly Cedric walked towards the children. He stopped a foot before them and sat down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Sofia’s amulet then threw it to her. Sofia looked up from Hugo’s chest and stared at the amulet in front of her. Then she looked up at the others in the room then back to Hugo. Hugo nodded, so Sofia leaned forward and crawled towards the amulet and then quickly crawled back to Hugo.   
“Sofia” Cedric said softly, much softer than James had ever heard him speak before. Sofia looked up, fear in her eyes.  
“Do you know who I am?” he asked, Sofia stared at him, recognition flittering across her face. She nodded but made no move to go to Cedric.   
“You know we aren’t going to hurt you don’t you Sofia?” he asked. Sofia flinched slightly and moved further into Hugo.   
“I promise you, you are safe” Sofia looked down, in despair. Cedric then pointed to the queen  
“Do you know who that is?” he asked. Sofia nodded  
“M-m-muh”   
“Don’t talk just nod or shake your head.” She nodded and Cedric visibly relaxed.  
“Is it okay if she come over to you, she just wants to make sure you’re okay” Hugo then moved for the first time. He stared at Cedric, a fire in his eyes.   
“No urse” he stated. Cedric nodded sadly.  
“No nurse, just the queen.” Hugo nodded and whispered something to Sofia.  
“Mmm-m-u” she tried to say, and the queen took that an invitation to go to her child. So slowly she walked forward and when she reached her destination she knelt down beside the children and gathered them in her arms. Then all three of them started sobbing as Miranda whispered hushed I love you’s.   
James watched the scene in shock, Sofia was the bravest girl he knew. Seeing her so broken ignited a fire in his belly. He would find who had hurt them and would make them hurt.


	5. Chapter 5

Sofia decided that she didn’t like the castle anymore. She wished she could safe that it felt like home, but she felt more like a freak show. Her family were uncertain of how to approach her and doctors were making her do things she didn’t to do. She didn’t want to go for a walk or talk about what had happened to her, she didn’t want to be okay. The only saving grace she had was Hugo. He would protect her, just as he had when they were away. The only issue was that Hugo had begun to leave her alone more and more. He didn’t want to, but he was forced to go to therapy and have surgeries to rectify his injuries. Sofia was glad she didn’t need any surgeries done. She hated needles now and she hated being touched by anyone other than Hugo.   
The boy in question was snuggled into Sofia’s side when the door opened. Sofia paled, she didn’t like being awake when Hugo wasn’t, it meant she had to talk to people. As she looked up she saw he older sister tiptoe into the room. Sofia relaxed slightly; Hugo trusted Amber, so Sofia did too. The princess tiptoed over to Sofia and stopped just before her bed. She looked at Hugo and smiled softly.  
“He must be tired” she said softly. Sofia nodded and Amber pointed to a chair beside Sofia’s bed.   
“Can I sit there?” she asked. Sofia nodded but still said nothing. Amber sat down and stared at her sister. There was a moment of silence before Amber spoke.  
“How you doing today?” she asked. Sofia gave Amber a thumbs up, indicating she was okay to which Amber nodded. The older princess’s face turned thoughtful and she turned to look Sofia in the eye.   
“I’m glad your home” Amber admitted.   
“And I know it doesn’t mean much but I’m really sorry you went through what you went through. I hope one day you can trust us again.” She rambled on. A lump began forming in Sofia’s throat. She had never seen Amber so honest or raw before. The princess wasn’t wearing any makeup and seemed much more dressed down than she usually was. Sofia had missed her sister, of that there was no doubt.   
“I trust you” Sofia admitted hoarsely. Ambers face lit up at Sofia’s words. She gulped and inched forward   
“Would it be okay if I hug you?” she asked timidly. Sofia froze and shook her head furiously. A flash of hurt flickered across Ambers face but it went as quickly as it came. Amber moved backwards into her chair.  
“That’s okay, you can hug me whenever your ready” she said. Sofia smiled gratefully but still seemed slightly shaken. She mouthed a thank you and pulled her covers to her chest, jostling Hugo slightly.   
“You know what happened today?” Amber asked. Sofia shook her head and Amber broke out into a grin.  
“So, I was going to ask Cedric for something but when I got to his room it was covered in flower. Literally from floor to ceiling and he looked like a ghost! Turns out magic and baking don’t go hand in hand”.”  
Sofia smiled wistfully and Amber grinned.   
“Then he tried walking to me and slipped in the flour and got me covered in it!” Amber finished. Sofia let out a small chuckle. Amber felt lighter at the sound, it was good to know her sister had felt something other than pain. Amber stuck her tongue out at Sofia  
“You’re not meant to laugh! The flour went all over me! It took forever to get out!” At that Sofia started full on laughing. At her laughter Hugo woke up, startled. He looked around the room wildly. His face turned to confusion when he realised Sofia was laughing. Sofia began snorting which set Hugo off laughing. The three of them then all fell into a laughing fit. When they stopped Amber felt happy. They were experiencing joy and Amber had helped them. She then spent the rest of the day telling funny stories. It was nice to hear the pair laugh, when they were recovering it seemed they could feel nothing but fear.   
As the night drew to a close Amber regretfully bid them goodbye, promising that she would be back again tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

A week after Amber had visited them Hugo found himself sat in front of a therapist. He had seen the therapist maybe two or three times since had woken up and he hated it. The therapist tried to make him talk about things. Such as to why he refused to let anyone other than Amber, the queen or James near him. Why he was upset any time his parents entered and what he and Sofia went through. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings, he wanted to be with Sofia!. He had to protect her.   
“So, it seems you have made progress this week with your speech! You can say more than five words. You should be proud of yourself.” Hugo merely shrugged. Mr Smith was an idiot, being proud to speak was stupid.   
“Would you like to talk about why you are so protective of people touching Sofia?” Mr Smith asked. Hugo gulped and zoned out.  
Sofia screamed. She yelled his name, but he couldn’t move.  
“Or maybe why you don’t like needles?”  
Hugo watched as they injected Sofia with something. He watched as she fell limp, he struggled against his restraints. They would hurt her; he couldn’t let that happen. He screamed and cursed but they laughed at him.  
“Shut up” and then they punched him across the face, making his lip bleed. No amount of screaming did any good. They took Sofia and not five minutes later he heard her scream and beg them to stop.  
“Hugo!” a voice yelled. Hugo snapped from his trance when he heard his name. The voice sounded feminine and he soon realised who was shouting him. He stood up, leaning on his crutches, and started hobbling towards the voice. He ignored Mr Smith’s shout, Sofia was in trouble damnit and Hugo was going to help her. He hobbled to her room, he found something that made his blood boil. Stood there was a doctor, he had Sofia restrained as she screamed. Hugo saw red and with a strength he didn’t know he possessed he threw one of his crutches at the doctor, making him let go of the princess. Hugo then dived for the needle on the floor which the doctor had dropped. He crawled towards Sofia and pulled himself up, so Sofia was behind him. He brandished the needle at the doctor threateningly. Roland then entered the room and drank in the site before him.  
He walked towards Hugo, his hands held up in surrender.   
“What happened Hugo?” he asked. Hugo narrowed his eyes; he didn’t trust the king. He wanted to but one thing he learned is people aren’t always who they appear. The king stopped as Hugo growled, showing his broken teeth.  
“Hugo it’s okay, I won’t hurt you, I just want to know what happened.”  
Roland tried to stay calm, but Hugo looked slightly deranged and Sofia was shaking like a leaf. Hugo then pointed to the needle and Roland got the message, no needles.  
“Okay right, no needles. What was in it?” he asked the doctor.   
“Antibiotics, Sofia can’t swallow tablets, so we have to administer it via needle.”   
“Is there no other way to give it?” The king asked.   
“Well in children we can give it as a syrup but- “  
“Do it” Roland ordered. The doctor tried to protest but Roland silenced him with a glare. When the doctor walked towards the teens however Sofia squeaked, prompting Hugo to push the doctor away. King Roland froze before an idea came to mind.  
“Sofia?” he asked gently. Sofia’s head popped out from behind Hugo’s back  
“Would it be okay if I gave you your medicine?” he asked. Sofia gulped but nodded, Roland then took the medicine and inched toward Sofia. She flinched slightly when he got to her and he felt his heart break. His daughter looked so scared. Slowly he poured the medicine onto the spoon and looked to Sofia.  
“It’ll make you better, promise” Sofia stared at him for a moment before slowly opening her mouth. Hugo watched the king intently as he administered Sofia’s medicine. When he had finished he looked to Hugo.  
“Do you want to throw that to the doctor? He can take it away and then he’ll leave” Reluctantly Hugo did as the king asked. The king then stared at Hugo who began swaying as his legs crumpled under him. Quickly Roland grabbed him and picked him up, he then put him gently in Sofia’s bed. Hugo smiled at him gratefully and pointed to Sofia. The king then held his arms out to his youngest and she climbed into his arms. He then placed her next to Hugo. He sat down on the chair next to the bed.  
“Ank yew” Hugo said. Roland smiled  
“It’s okay. I’ll tell the healers no needles from now on.” The pair smiled appreciatively.   
Sofia began to yawn, and Roland chuckled  
“How about you two get comfy and I’ll read you a story?” he offered. They nodded and snuggled further into the covers as Roland grabbed one of Sofia’s books. He began to read it, as he concluded the book he realised that the pair had fallen asleep. So, he tucked them in and kissed their foreheads.  
“Goodnight Sofia, goodnight Hugo. I love you both” and then the king left. His heart was heavy at how much trauma he knew the two had gone through, but he was determined to help them. He would find the person that hurt them and bring the full might of Enchancia down on them. Nobody hurt his daughter and got away with it.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N this chapter contains implied rape and descriptions of underage sexual assault. Read at own risk!  
It was light when James set out that morning, he had gone to see Sofia before he left. She seemed happy to see him, happy but wary. He told her that he was proud of her for trusting his father. She smiled at him but said nothing in return.  
After making sure she was okay he left the caste with Samson and the knights. They all travelled to the forest where Sofia was found and began looking around for any kind of clue as to what had happened.   
They had been at it for hours before they found something, under a pile of leaves there laid a shoe. James picked it up. Tension flickered in the air as James inspected it. It was old and torn but it was definitely Sofia’s shoe. James paled when he realised that the inside of the shoe was covered in blood. He gulped and called a knight over.  
“Bag this and send it to Cedric, see if he can find out whose blood it is” he demanded. The knight nodded and rushed off to do as he asked. Suddenly Samson called out for the prince. James followed him through the trees. When Samson stopped James looked at wat got the knight so excited, sat there was a boat. It was old and James did not understand how it had stayed in the harbour.. It should have blown away a while ago. Still James ordered the knights to seize it and look for any indication of where it came from.   
Whilst James was hunting for clues Sofia was trying to take a bath. It would be the first time in a week she had left Hugo and she felt vulnerable. She tried convincing everyone that she could do it by herself, but they wouldn’t let her. So, Miranda had asked Sofia if it would be okay if it was just her that helped. Sofia had agreed and had found herself in the bathroom a few moments later.   
Miranda began undoing Sofia’s clothes whilst Sofia shook. As she got to Sofia’s pyjama bottoms Sofia began stumbling backwards. The queen stopped   
“Sofia, you can’t sit in the bath with your clothes on, how will you get clean?” she asked. Sofia gulped and shook her head.  
“I don’t want to play!” she yelled. Miranda flinched; Sofia rarely spoke. Then the realisation of what Sofia had said settled on Miranda and the queen thought she was going to be sick. She took a deep breath  
“Is that what they did? Make you play without clothes?” she asked, shakily. Sofia nodded  
“I no wanna play!” Sofia yelled. Miranda bit her lip, trying to stop the tears as her daughter changed in front of her eyes. She was no longer calm or in control, she was shaking and broken.  
“We aren’t going to play a game Sofia, I promise. We can take this one step at a time okay?” Sofia seemed to relax at her mothers soothing voice. Miranda walked towards the fourteen-year-old.   
“Is it okay if I put you in the bath, you can keep your underwear on, but we’ll have to take your pants off, is that okay?” Sofia nodded and slowly removed her pants. Miranda the encouraged her to go towards the tub and with the queens help she crawled into the hot water. Sofia hissed at the water made contact but made no move to get out.   
Miranda then began helping Sofia get clean. She gently rubbed a sponge along Sofia’s arms, staying clear of her legs. She then began cleaning Sofia’s hair. The teen merely sat in silence, staring at the wall. When Sofia was clean Miranda helped her get out of the tub.   
She silently began drying Sofia off as the girl remained silent. Once Sofia was dressed she sat on the couch and pulled her knees to her chest. Tears began streaming down her face, leaving Miranda shocked, without thinking she pulled Sofia into a hug. The princess tried to fight it, but Miranda wouldn’t let her go, eventually Sofia stopped but continued to sob in her mother’s arms.  
“That’s its sweetie, just let it all out.” She kissed Sofia’s head and began rocking her back and forth, eventually Sofia became quiet.. When the queen looked down she found her daughter fast asleep, gently she picked Sofia up and took her to her bedroom. She placed her next to Hugo and kissed them both on the forehead.   
When Miranda left she shut the door and sank to the floor, she covered her mouth with her hand to cover the sound of her sobs. Her shoulder shook and her eye began streaming.   
That night the Queen of Enchancia’s heart broke as she realised that her little girl truly had lost her innocence far too soon.


	8. Chapter 8

When Sofia woke up that morning she was filled with an optimism she didn’t know she possessed. She was sick of staying in her room, she wanted to feel fresh air. She also knew that for an hour and a half she would be on her own since Hugo was talking to his therapist so Sofia pulled herself out of bed and slowly got changed, it was a challenge but she managed it. She then grabbed her amulet which lay on her bedside table and placed it around her neck. Sofia knew that moving about would be hard after so much time in bed. Her joints felt stiff and she tried to remember how to walk, so she placed all her energy into moving forward, using her walking stick to help.   
She hobbled out of her room, smiling at the maid as she walked by. The maid seemed surprised and ran off, Sofia assumed she was going to get the king or queen. She knew she didn’t have long before her parents came to her aid, so she carried on towards the exit. When she got there however she found Bailywick talking to a guard, they stopped talking to stare at her.  
“Princess Sofia, what on earth are you doing out of bed?” Bailywick asked. Sofia looked down, guiltily  
“Outside” she said. Bailywick stared at her in concern and sighed  
“Sofia… you should be resting” he tried saying. It did nothing to appease the fourteen-year-old, however.   
“Outside!” she yelled. Bailywick flinched and began walking towards the princess, she staggered backwards  
“No touching!” she whispered and Bailywick froze. Before Sofia disappeared she loved hugs, and anything touch feely but now the princess seemed terrified. Bailywick wanted to help her, how though?. He was told by the queen that the princess had been hurt by men before, how could he help her when she was scared of males?. Then suddenly Bailywick had an idea.  
“Princess… would it be okay if a girl accompanied you, a girl of your choice?” he offered. Sofia seemed to think through her options before finally nodding.  
“Amber” she said. The castle steward nodded and sent the guard to find Amber.  
When Amber appeared, she looked at the pair, confused. Bailywick quickly explained the situation and Amber face palmed.   
“Sofia, you are more than welcome to roam about the castle, but you can’t go alone. You are still healing, what if you fall?” Amber explained. Sofia had the decency to look slightly sheepish, Amber then told Bailywick to grab a wheelchair.  
“If you want to go outside you must use the chair, I’m not having you fall” Sofia looked affronted.  
“Not a prisoner!” she murmured. Amber laughed at her sisters’ childish attitude.  
“No but we lost you once Sof… let us look after you okay?” she said gently. Sofia looked down and agreed for Amber to help. When Bailywick came back with a wheelchair Amber asked him to inform her family of the situation. Amber then took Sofia out of the castle into the gardens.   
They spent an hour or so merely wandering around the gardens until they settled in a meadow of flowers. Amber handed Sofia a drink of water that Sofia didn’t even realise they had. They sat in silence for a few moments as Sofia drank.   
“It’s okay to hate us you know” Amber said suddenly. Sofia stared at her sister, perplexed. Sofia shook her head slightly and motioned for Amber to carry on. The sixteen-year-old frowned and tried to gather her thoughts.  
“We… we couldn’t find you. I know you thought we would save you because that’s what I would think.” Amber admitted, Sofia seemed to stare at her sister as if she could see her very soul.  
As Hugo fell back into their cage Sofia pulled him into her arms. She rocked him back and forth, trying to calm his cries. He was bleeding from his ear, his lip was split, and his eye was swollen. Sofia hated it; he would rile up their captors so that she wouldn’t be hurt. She wished she could take away his pain  
“It’s okay Hugo… they’ll find us”   
But they never did.  
Amber waved a hand in front of Sofia’s face to get her attention, Sofia snapped back to reality.  
“You okay?” she asked, Sofia nodded.  
“No hate you” Sofia said faintly. Amber blinked  
“I would, we tried looking everywhere for you and couldn’t find you!” Amber suddenly yelled. Sofia immediately went into flight mode, she tried curling in on herself, but it was hard in her wheelchair.  
“Sorry, sorry, sorry” Sofia muttered apologies in a strained voice. Ambers heart shattered, did Sofia think she was going to hurt her?. Gently Amber pulled Sofia’s hands away from her face.  
“Sofia, I’m not mad at you. I’m not going to hurt you, I’m just angry that I can’t help you” the blonde princess then took a step back from her sister to give her some room. Slowly Sofia unfurled and calmed down.  
“Not your fault” Amber sighed, her shoulders dropping in defeat.  
“I know but I wished I had made you stay to plan your party, maybe then you would have been safe” Sofia bit her lip.  
“Not your fault” she repeated more fiercely. Amber wiped away tears that were threatening to fall at her siters insistence.   
“Thank you, I love you” she declared. Sofia’s broke out into a smile. She held her arms out and Amber blinked in shock before she slowly leaned into Sofia’s hug. The teenagers cried silently as they were wrapped in each other embrace.   
“Sisters?” Amber murmured into Sofia’s shoulder.   
“Forever.”

Later that night Sofia was sat at the dining table with Hugo and her family. They had been home nearly three months. It was high time they started trying to find some form of normality. It was a quiet affair, with only the king, queen and Amber. James was following a lead and Sofia didn’t have the heart to tell him what had happened to her.   
So, Sofia sat next to Hugo staring at her dinner, beans on toast. It was the first time she was trying Solid food. Hugo had been on solids for a while and had been trying to encourage Sofia to eat more. The princess refused to eat the recommended amount so Hugo had turned it into a game, for every meal Sofia eat Hugo would do something for her. Sometimes it was stupid things like letting Sofia win at chess or more sentimental things such as holding her forever or giving her a kiss. Doing that in front of her parent would be dreadfully inappropriate, however. So, Sofia just stared at her food, her family didn’t comment on her not eating. It was the first time she would be eating in front of her family; she had only eaten in front of Hugo since she had been home. Hugo however wasn’t quiet, he had finished his dinner and turned to the princess.  
“You eat” he said. Sofia shook her head and Hugo grumbled.  
“You be hungry Sofia” he told her. Sofia looked to her family who were watching her. Hugo suddenly then had an idea  
“You eat I give you kiss!” he offered. Sofia’s face turned red and she squawked his name. Her family watched the two in amusement. Sofia scoffed  
“You’re annoying” she said, rolling her eyes. Hugo laughed  
“You wuv me” he said, arrogantly. Sofia shook her head.  
“Nope”  
“Yeah”  
“No  
“Yes now eat!” Hugo then grabbed Sofia’s spoon. He scooped some beans onto it and held it in front of her mouth, Sofia gulped. She was suddenly taken back there  
“You get food if you behave!”   
Hugo seemed to realise what was happening before Sofia did, he grabbed her shoulders and turned her to him.  
“We safe” he said firmly. Sofia nodded and began drifting back to earth.  
“I get a kiss if I eat?” she asked again. Hugo nodded and Sofia then slowly began eating her dinner. She couldn’t quite finish the whole portion but that was good enough for Hugo. He leant across and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Sofia blushed and the pair began laughing, this in turned made the royals laugh. For once since she had been home Sofia felt somewhat safe, if only she knew just how fleeting that would be.


	9. Chapter 9

It was late when Hugo was woken up. When he opened his eyes, he was confused at first. It took a moment to realise where he was and for one terrible moment he thought he was back in the cage. When he remembered where he was he looked around to see what had disturbed him and paled when he saw another figure in the room. He turned on the bedside lamp and looked up to the intruder.   
“Wha- “he began but the intruder shushed him.  
“I don’t want to wake her” he said softly, Hugo then looked down to the girl sleeping next to him. Hugo smiled softly, Sofia was beginning to get a lot better and seemed more healthier. The prince thought Sofia was pretty when he first met her, but she was starting to become seriously beautiful. After a moment, the intruder spoke.  
“Sorry if I woke you… I just got back and wanted to make sure you were okay” he said shyly. Hugo shrugged  
“It okay….” Hugo said.   
“She sista” Hugo eventually spat out. James nodded and continued staring at Sofia’s sleeping form, after a moment Sofia began wriggling. She murmured something unintelligible and her brow began creasing. Her face became strained, James panicked. Hugo on the other hand simply leaned down and whispered soothing words in Sofia’s ear. After a moment or two she settled and fell back into a peaceful slumber. Hugo kissed her forehead and turned to face James’s amused smirk.  
“If we were in any other scenario I would kill you for doing that.” He admitted. Hugo laughed silently, he wished that the situation James insinuated was real. It means a lot less nightmares and pain.   
“Where go?” Hugo asked, cursing himself for still being unable to speak properly. James seemed to get his question however and said he had found their boat. He explained that they were trying to figure out how the boat had survived to carry them across the ocean, Hugo had smiled at that. It seemed he knew a secret that James didn’t.  
James rolled his eyes, he wanted to ask them what had happened and how they got home but couldn’t. He didn’t want to upset them.  
After an awkward silence James got up to leave but Hugo stopped him.  
“Boat no carry us…. Boat keep us dry” he said. James thought about what he was saying, how could a boat not carry them?. Suddenly he remembered what Samson had said, the animals surrounded them to keep them safe.  
“Dolphins carried you across?” he asked. Hugo didn’t agree or disagree instead he simply said  
“Nater protec ew eed it” James nodded and thank Hugo before leaving the prince to get some sleep.

A week later Hugo and Sofia were visiting the stables, they had been walking around with the queen and Amber. Well more accurately being pushed around but the pair didn’t mind it. It was nice feeling looked after. After sitting down and eating dinner in the meadow Sofia decided she wanted to go and visit Minimums. Since being home she had avoided her animal friends, scared of how they might perceive her. Her mother had reluctantly agreed only to be taken away by some urgent business. Amber had assured her that she would get both of the teens back to the castle safely. The queen was apprehensive but trusted them, so she left.   
Amber then took Sofia and Hugo to the royal stables, she told them that Minimums had been moved there shortly after Sofia disappeared. She said that they wanted a piece of Sofia with them, Sofia had asked about her rabbit and birds, but Amber said they had gone missing shortly after Sofia. Sofia felt sat that she wouldn’t see her friends, they had been part of saving her. She wanted to thank them. Still, she was looking forward to seeing her horse so together she and Hugo walked into the stables.   
Amber who had sensed that Sofia wanted some privacy had excused herself. Sofia grabbed Hugo’s hand as they neared Minimum’s stall. The prince smiled at her sweetly.  
“You wore necklace” he stated. Sofia looked down and with her spare hand, grabbed the amulet. She stared at it, as if absorbed in a memory.   
“Yeah.. I wanted to talk to him” she whispered. Hugo kissed her head  
“You want be lone?” he asked. Sofia shook her head.   
“I need you” she pleaded. Hugo merely grasped her hand slightly harder and walked her towards the purple horse.  
At first Minimums didn’t notice them, that was until all the horses started chanting his name. The winged horse looked up and stopped when he saw his rider. His face turned to one of shock and bewilderment. He whispered her name, as if saying it any louder would make her disappear. He trotted towards her, she stumbled towards him, letting go of Hugo. Once he reached the door Sofia placed a hand on his nose to which he leaned into. Sofia whispered his name before breaking out into a smile. Happy tears ran down her face like a river.  
“I missed you” she said. Minimums gulped, trying to stifle a sob. He had missed the princess so much; he never really knew hat had happened. He knew she was missing but up until five months ago he didn’t know she was being held hostage. In the time she was gone he would only let James fly him, together the two searched for her but couldn’t find her.  
Minimums neighed softly and walked out of his bed as Sofia opened the door, he nudged her slightly and Sofia flung her arms around his neck. The horse then spotted Hugo stood off to the side, he was watching them with a fond smile on his face. Minimums knew what that kind of smile was about and looked between his rider and her friend.   
He, of course knew that Hugo was being held captive too and felt for him. Nobody deserved to go through what they had gone through. He walked over to Hugo and studied him for a moment before licking him. Hugo, who had finally began walking for longer distances was pushed over into a bail of hay. He sat up, hay sticking out of his hair at odd angles and both horse and rider began laughing. Sofia ran over to help him. It was strange, for a minuet it felt like Sofia was twelve again, playing.   
Sofia suddenly came back to earth; she wasn’t twelve anymore. She was nearly fifteen and she was different, she was cautious and broken. Hugo seemed to realise what Sofia was thinking as well as he became downcast. Minimums neighed as the two became sadder, Sofia grabbed his reigns and led him back to his stall and ordered him to lie down. She then grabbed Hugo and pushed him into the stall and together the two humans and one horse settled into the straw.   
“Have you seen clover, Mia and Robin?” Sofia asked. The horse smiled   
“Yeah, After the forest they came back home. Clover should be visiting you soon. Mia and Robin went back to the forest to try and thank the animals that helped.” Sofia nodded, Hugo however zoned out, a memory coming to the surface.   
Hugo knew that Sofia could speak to animals with the amulet which was why he was so shocked that they did what she asked. She hadn’t had the amulet in two years. After they escaped Sofia dragged him towards the ocean, it took him a moment to realise she was following the birds in the sky. He didn’t get chance to ask what they were doing however as once they reached the ocean Sofia pushed him into a dingy. They then set sail.  
When he crashed back to reality Sofia was still talking, only to be interrupted when Amber arrived to tell them that they had to head back to the castle. They didn’t want to, but Amber insisted and begrudgingly they said goodbye to minimums, promising to come back.   
That night both teens fell asleep feeling a little but more normal.


	10. Chapter 10

Hugo knew that the time would come when people would want to visit. He just didn’t expect it to be him. Hugo was glad that for once Sofia wasn’t with him, she was with Clover in her bedroom. He wasn’t glad however that for once he had been allowed to be alone. Why was it that when he needed help it wasn’t there?.  
It mattered not because the man who had visited Hugo was not leaving, instead he just stood and stared at the prince. Hugo merely leant on the stable door, he wished he could speak to Sofia’s horse. He would ask Minimus to pummel the intruder. The man took a step forward, Hugo didn’t move. This man had intimidated him and Sofia, he didn’t have that power anymore.   
“Baby bro..” Axel said softly. Hugo glared  
“Not your bro” he spat venomously. Axel raised his hands in surrender  
“I deserve that” he admitted. Axel stared at the floor, ashamed.   
“Please… Hugo…. Let me explain.” He tried appeasing his brother, but it didn’t work. Hugo’s already simmering anger erupted like a volcano.   
“No. You go away. I no want you here.” His voice sent chills down Axels spine. Never in his life had his brother spoken in such an evil tone.   
“I… I’m sorry Hugo, I really am. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt” Axel pleaded. Hugo didn’t believe it and without hesitation he shouted for help. Suddenly three guards appeared and stared between the two princes.   
“Prince Hugo are you okay?” one of them asked. Hugo shook his head, he began crying. Betrayal and despair shone through his eyes.  
“Get out! I don want him ear!” he yelled. The guards hesitated for a moment but as the prince fell to the floor, his weight unable to carry him any longer. They rushed Axel away and rushed Hugo up to the castle, just as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.   
Whilst Hugo was being examined by doctors James had finally figured out just where the boat had come from. He had received papers that dictated the waters currents around the time that their dingy would have sailed. James along with an oceanographer found the most likely journey that Sofia would have taken but it didn’t make any sense to James.   
If they had sailed from the kingdom in question then what had scared them enough to sail back home. He just couldn’t figure out what had happened in the kingdom. As such he tucked away his finding in his backpack and went back to the castle. He had to talk to Amber, maybe she could help.

When he got to the castle though it looked like a bomb had gone off. The king was in the throne room with Hugo’s father, Knights were storming the castle and his mother and Amber were banging on Sofia’s door. James was oh so confused so he called for his called for his mother. When he asked what was going on, James felt sick. He was told that Axel had visited Hugo and then Hugo had fainted and started seizing. Roland had called the knights to find Axel so that he could explain what had happened. When Sofia had found out what had happened she had barricaded herself in her room. Nobody could get her to come out, it was chaos.   
James knew that he had to act fast, so he ran off to find the one person that Sofia worshipped. Cedric the sensational. When he had informed Cedric of the situation the sorcerer had immediately agreed to help. He was soon stood outside Sofia’s door.   
Cedric ordered the others to back away, too many people would trigger her anxiety.   
“Sofia?” he asked, knocking on the door. The girl squeaked.   
“Go away!” she yelled. Cedric bit his lip  
“Sofia, why are you hiding? I told you that you are safe!” Cedric tried to reason. Sofia sniffled; it certainly didn’t feel safe.   
“I want Hugo!” she yelped, her voice cracking. Cedric asked the queen to find out about Hugo’s condition. She disappeared to find the boy.   
“Sofia… We will get him, but you have to open the door… you are scaring us” the sorcerer reasoned softly. Suddenly Sofia started crying, her sobs bounced off the door like a bullet. Still, she refused to open the door.   
James was bamboozled, why was she so scared of Axel?. As he thought about Axel, he remembered the kingdom he had found and suddenly it clicked in James’s head. Why she had locked herself away, why Hugo had fainted and why she was so scared. He pulled out his book of findings and tapped lightly on Sofia’s door.   
“He’s the one that hurt you wasn’t he?” James asked. Sofia’s sobs were his only answer and fury ignited in James’s soul. He turned to Cedric  
“Tell dad that he needs to order a reward for Axels capture and to put Hugo’s parents in temporary custody. Tell him that they are to be questioned on crimes against the crown and treason against the country of Enchacia. Tell him I’ll deliver him proof later.” His voice was strong, but his hands shook, Cedric’s eyes bulged at what James was implicating. He turned on his heel and left but not before magically opening Sofia’s door.   
James ran in, Amber following him. Her mind still reeling from what James was implying. When they entered the room, Sofia was backed into the corner, her shoulders shook, and she had curled up to protect herself. James started walking towards her, but Amber placed a hand on his shoulder.   
“Let me handle this” she asked. James nodded and the blonde walked over to her sister. She sat next to Sofia.   
“Sof… please look at me” Amber pleaded. Sofia didn’t budge and Amber placed a hand on Sofia’s, feeling elated when she didn’t pull away.   
“Sofia… you’re safe, Axel is gone. Please sit up, it’s just me and James” she added. Sofia blinked and moved her head up slightly  
“I don’t want to play with Axel anymore” she whispered. Amber gagged slightly; she knew what that meant. The queen had informed the immediate family of what she knew. Amber nodded, her eyes began pooling with tears.   
“You don’t have to play anymore Sofia.” Sofia didn’t seem to hear her however as she looked straight past her, to James.   
“I don’t want to play James” she said. Amber gasped, did Sofia really think that’s what James wanted. James merely walked towards his sister.   
“You never, ever have to play that game again Sofia. Ever.” The room became thick with tension as Sofia and James stared at each other. Suddenly Sofia started scratching at her arms and then her legs, leaving vicious, red scratch marks.   
“Dirty, dirty, dirty, whore!” she yelled. Amber grabbed her wrists to stop her cutting her skin. Sofia ripped her hands away.   
“Bad, bad, bad” she chanted but she lay her hands beside her. Her pupils dilated as she drifted off into her mind.  
Amber and James looked at each other in concern, Sofia was having an honest to goodness mental breakdown. Amber asked James to get the doctor and for once the boy didn’t argue. Sofia’s head lolled backwards, and Amber rushed to catch her before she hit the ground.   
When the doctors came they whisked her away and Amber turned to James.  
“What… what just happened?” she asked. James gulped and showed Amber his findings  
“The place they took off from was Axels part of the kingdom… it appears that Axel kidnapped them both or knew who did.”   
“Not that… why was Sofia adamant that we want to play?” She spat the word play like it was venom on her tongue. James looked down; his shoulders felt heavy.   
“I don’t know Amber, but I do know one thing.”  
“What’s that?”  
“Axel messed with the wrong family.”

A/N – You shocked at that development? Don’t worry all will be explained soon!


	11. Chapter 11

King Roland was furious, no scrap that he was downright livid. He had spent over 24 hours interrogating Garrick and his wife. 24 hours that he should have been with Sofia and Hugo, 24 hours that Axel wasn’t being prosecuted. It was 24 hours that Roland cursed himself for not being a good father to Sofia, he should have protected her.  
It mattered not how the king felt however because Garrick had no clue what had happened, he was just as confused as Roland. His wife however had seemed to know more than she let on, she remained silent during the interrogation. The knight had tried to get her to talk which had done nothing, the queen remained tight-lipped. At their failure, Roland ordered the queen to be taken to the cells and for Garrick to be placed in private quarters under armed guards. King Roland had given Hugo’s father all the evidence James had collected and a written account of testimonies from the guards on who caused Hugo to collapse. He had left Garrick to review the evidence and made his way to the infirmary. There he found his children asleep next to Sofia and Hugo. His wife however was nowhere in sight.  
After scouring the room, he still couldn’t find her, so he asked Bailywick if he knew where she went. The steward smiled at him sadly.  
“She went in the direction of the royal chambers sir.”  
“Thank you Bailywick” the king turned to leave but his friend called out to him.  
“Sir.. please don’t think I am overstepping my bounds here but the queen… the queen is breaking. They told her that due to the princess’s collapse her recovery could be set back. The queen didn’t take that news very well sire.” Roland’s shoulders sagged, he wanted to bite back at his friend. Of course, the queen was breaking, her daughter was in pain!. Still, he knew that would do no good, so he nodded, kissed his children on the head, and went in search of his wife.  
When he found her, she was in their bedroom, pictures scattered around her. Her face had dried tear tracks on it, and she looked exhausted. Roland entered the room, trying to be quiet as not to startle her. When he got to his wife he sat down next to her, she didn’t even look up. Roland looked at the picture in her hands, it was when Sofia was a baby. Miranda was cuddling her, and Sofia’s birth father had them both wrapped up in his arms.   
Roland was confused, Miranda rarely brought up Sofia’s father. It wasn’t that Roland never asked or wasn’t interested but Miranda just didn’t like talking about it. Roland knew that every year on Balthazar’s birthday, Sofia and her mother would help out at the docs. They would cook cookies for sailors and help them clean their boats. He used to feel jealous because he knew that Miranda still held a special place for him. When he told Miranda however she had laughed, saying that he was Sofia’s father and she would always love him, but she wasn’t in love with him. No, she was in love with the king. Roland had stopped being jealous after that.  
He had been staring at the picture for a while before Miranda spoke.  
“They never found his body,” she said suddenly. Roland said nothing in reply, sensing that she needed to say what she was going to say.  
“I know it sounds stupid, but I wished they had. Then I would know that he was definitely dead you know. I could lay him to rest properly and Sofia couldn’t say that if there was nobody then he might be alive.” She took in a shuddering breath, trying to find the right words.  
“When… when Sofia was gone it felt the same as when her father died. She was gone and nobody could say if she was alive or not. I wanted to… no needed to believe she was alive but I knew people thought that she was dead.” Her breathing began to get quicker as she began to get more worked up.  
“Now, she’s home but she’s not Sofia… she’s a stranger. I was told once that a mother could always recognize her child, but I don’t. I don’t recognize her Roland! That girl isn’t my Sofia, she’s broken and it’s killing me because I can’t fix her!” she yelped. As she began sobbing Roland wrapped her up in his arms, rocking her backward and forwards.  
“She is Sofia… she’s just different but Sofia is still in there. She just needs a little help. No child was the same at 12 than they are at 14, lord knows the twins aren’t.” He reassured her. She didn’t reply, she just sobbed into his chest.  
Roland felt like his world was breaking, for two years his family had been shattered with only one goal in mind. To find Sofia but now that they had found her it wasn’t the grad reunion they had hoped for. Sofia was scared of them, something Roland had never wanted for the poor girl. Still, it mattered not because the King was going to make sure that her captors were punished to the full might of Enchancian law. Nobody hurt his family and got away with it.


	12. Chapter 12

The air was cold, and Hugo was tired. Sofia had been taken out of the cage the night before and had yet to return. To make matters worse the man who had captured them was forcing him to clean their house. It was a regular occurrence, whilst they used Sofia to fulfil their needs, they used Hugo like a maid. The teenager honestly didn’t know which was worse at this point, listening to Sofia beg them to stop or being physically beaten every time he did something wrong. Then he heard Sofia scream and decided that hearing Sofia was definitely worse. It was the only thing that stopped him from overpowering his guard and running. He couldn’t leave Sofia; he could never leave Sofia. Still, cleaning was exhausting, especially when he had not slept properly in days.  
He had been cleaning for a few hours when his guard suddenly grabbed him and threw him into a cupboard. Hugo landed on the floor with a sickening crack but managed to pull himself out of his daze. He looked through the crack in the door to hear another man enter the room, he tried seeing who had entered but the guard blocked him. Too tired to stand any longer her fell to the floor. He sat there for a while until he heard Sofia’s name. Curious he leant closer to the door only to hear a voice that sounded surprisingly similar.   
“Is she okay?” the voice asked. The guard grunted  
“Since when do you care? You are the reason she is here” his guar chuckled. Hugo was confused, he still had no idea why he and Sofia were taken. If what the guard was saying was true then it wasn’t a random attack.   
“I know what I did Fergus, I had to protect the kingdom. I had no choice” the voice spat. This made Hugo more and more confused, Sofia and himself weren’t a threat were they?.   
“Still, selling out your baby brother and the princess was cruel, even by our standards,” Fergus said. Hugo gasped; it couldn’t be possible. Axel wouldn’t hurt him; they were brothers for god’s sake.  
“It was them or the kingdom Fergus”  
“That may be true now, here Is the gold you oh so nicely requested. I suggest you leave now. Wouldn’t want the girl to see you.” There was a moment of silence before Hugo heard any movement. He heard footsteps and then the distinct sound of a door slamming shut. As he fell backwards to the floor he had one thought on his mind.  
What the hell had Axel done?.

Hugo shot up in his bed, hot and sweaty. It had been a while since he had thought of that day, the day his faith had been well and truly shook. He tried remembering what had happened, he remembered seeing Axel but not what happened afterwards. Suddenly a thought struck him, maybe he had come back for Sofia!. With that in mind, he threw his covers of the bed and started sitting up. He was met with a warm pair of hands pushing him back down. Axel tried pushing the hands off him, but they wouldn’t budge. He began panicking and looked to his captor only to find the queen. She smiled at him with soft eyes.  
“It’s okay Hugo, you’re safe” she reassured. Hugo, however, didn’t care himself, he looked around the room wildly. The queen seemed to understand what he was worried about however and put his mind at rest.  
“Sofia is eating in the dining hall. She woke up a couple of hours ago, she didn’t want to leave but I made her. She’s with the guards and her family. She’s safe.” Hugo looked down at the word family, guilt written all over his face. The queen felt her heart crack at his guilty expression, did he really think that what happened was his fault?.  
“Hugo…” she started; she was cut off when Hugo started to cry. He kept repeating sorry and started pulling at his hair. Miranda grabbed his hands so that he couldn’t do any additional damage.  
“Why are you sorry Hugo?” she asked kindly. Hugo gulped  
“I… I brother, sof… I no… undastan” he choked up. Miranda stared at the boy. Two years ago, she knew him as a little boy with a big ego but now she thought he was a strong man. He had suffered more than anyone could imagine and was still alive to tell the tale.  
“Hugo, you didn’t know that your brother planned to have you kidnapped. What happened was not your fault!” Hugo flinched at the fieriness in her voice. For a minute Miranda was reminded of how Sofia flinched at loud noises, she sighed sadly.  
“Oh, Hugo what did they do to you?” there was a strained moment of apprehension. Hugo for the first time didn’t want to keep it in, he was exhausted. They had hurt him and now they weren’t there and were still killing him. Hugo bit his lip, hard.  
“They… hit…. Burn… me. I-I-I clean, lock in the cage. S.. sof keep me alive. I get a hurt lot. She clean cut. They hurt me to hurt her. Scary” his voice began to break. He tried to continue his story but couldn’t, the queen, however, got a pretty clear picture of what they went through and felts sick. How could anyone do that to a child? She pulled him into a hug and for once Hugo didn’t flinch. Miranda ran her hands through his hair, whispering soothing words of encouragement. It was then the queen decided that this boy was now her son and if there is anything the queen would protect till her dying breath it was family. Hugo had suffered so much, and the queen was going to help him get better even if it killed her.  
All to soon Hugo pulled away and began fiddling with his blanket. He seemed to be contemplating something.  
“Trust dad… mum no trust” he said finally. Miranda nodded and called the nearest guard over, relaying the message. She then turned back to the boy  
“Right you, get some rest. Sofia will be here after dinner and you best believe she’ll want cuddles of you” at Miranda’s wink Hugo blushed but did what she asked.  
After everything he had gone through Hugo was scared to trust but it seemed that the queen loved him regardless of his trauma and for now that was enough.


	13. Chapter 13

Garrick was sure of one thing; Axel wasn’t the son he knew. At first, he didn’t want to believe what Roland was saying but after looking at the evidence he didn’t have a choice. If the sworn witness testimonies weren’t enough, James’s evidence was. He had evidence that Hugo and Sofia were in the boat and that the boat had sailed from Axel's part of the kingdom. The only conclusion he could make as to why Hugo hadn’t sought out his brother was that he was scared. The queen had also told him what Hugo had said, it broke Garrick’s heart. He truly didn’t want to believe it, but the evidence was clear, his son had Hugo and Sofia kidnapped. For what nobody knew but one thing was true. Axel was now an enemy of Enchacia.  
His wife was another mystery altogether. She had refused to speak on the matter, Garrick knew that she knew more than they did. It made sense; Hugo always eyed her suspiciously, but Garrick assumed that was to his natural distrust in people. It seemed though that his own mother had done something to him. Something Garrick was determined to find out. As such he asked the guards if they could summon Roland and his son. The guards said they would ask but could not make any promises.  
Thankfully, the king came through and that was how Garrick found himself face to face with his son. The boy seemed weak, he was brought in on a wheelchair, looking slightly clammy. Roland had informed Garrick that Hugo had woken up three days prior and was recuperating. The stress he had endured caused his body to shut down. The boy refused to look at his father, he stared at the floor, apprehensive. Garrick knelt in front of his son; he placed a hand on Hugo’s knee.  
“Hugo, look at me” he ordered. Hugo audibly gulped. Garrick realised that his son was scared, he had been betrayed by his own brother. Who's to say his father would be any better?.  
“Hugo, you’re not in trouble and I’m not mad okay? I know what Axel did and I’m so, so sorry but I didn’t know” Garrick’s voice broke and Hugo looked up, his face still distrusting but a little bit softer.  
“You… you no know?” he asked. Garrick nodded, a lump in his throat. The king then started crying  
“No son if I did I would have saved you. I don’t know why they did what they did, but I swear on the kingdom I did not know. Please… believe me.” There was a moment of silence as Garrick silently begged for his forgiveness. Hugo said nothing to his father, instead he chose to ask the king to fetch Sofia. Whilst he went to look for her Hugo grabbed his father’s hands.  
“Want to trust you. Want to have father back, Sofia needs to trust you first.” Garrick nodded; he could accept that. No, he would accept that, they had been through a lot together and Garrick would beg every day for their forgiveness.  
Once Sofia entered the room she rushed over to Hugo, looking him up and down for any injuries. She asked him what was wrong, and Hugo explained what his father had said in a hushed whisper. Sofia nodded, understanding Hugo’s still broken speech. She turned to Garrick  
“You didn’t know?” she asked. Garrick shook his head  
“No princess, if I had I would have saved you both.” Sofia nodded her head and turned to Hugo and winked at him.  
“I think he’s telling the truth,” she said slowly. Garrick released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Then a thought struck him, he needed to know.  
“I know this will be very difficult and if you can’t answer me I fully understand and respect that. Did my queen know?” at the look on their faces Garrick knew his answer. They both seemed to shrink back and seemed to be thinking the same thing. Garrick took a shuddering breath  
“Hugo… Sofia… I am so sorry. Do you know how much she knew?” he asked. Hugo stared at Sofia in defiance, but she just shook her head at him. Hugo crossed his arms, annoyed. Sofia ignored him and turned to Garrick.  
“She… she knew where we were. She tried to help Hugo” she stopped talking at the look of shock on Garrick’s face. The fact that Sofia wasn’t mentioned said more than anything else. Garrick nodded  
“You were both very brave and thank you. I promise you that we will find Axel and they will both be punished.” The teens nodded gravely, realising that the situation was now out of their hands.  
They spent a few hours talking to Garrick, Hugo seemed happier that he at least had his father back. Then it was time for dinner and Bailywick collected the two teens. Garrick asked if he could see his wife, Roland agreed and took Garrick to the cells.  
When he got there, he found the queen sitting in the corner of her cell, her usually amazing appearance was discarded. She wore the same dress she was taken in, only now it was covered in dirt and ripped. Her face was covered in ash and she looked a little thinner, Garrick knew he should feel sorry for her. She was his wife but all he could feel was rage.  
He pulled a stool in front of her cell, the noise alerted her to his presence. Her face changed to a look of relief  
“Oh Garrick, thank goodness!. You need to tell them to let me go! This could cause a national incident!.” She said. Garrick just started at her unnervingly. The queen seemed to realise that he wasn’t there to save her.  
“How could you do it Mary?” he asked. Mary had the decency to look ashamed.  
“I didn’t do anything Garrick”  
“That’s rubbish, tell me what you did Mary and I’ll ask Roland to go easy on you.” No matter how Garrick reasoned Mary refused until an idea struck the king.  
“Did you do it to save Axel?” he asked, trying to seem understanding. Mary clenched her hands.  
“If I did something it was to protect our son,” she said. Garrick grabbed the bars and leant forward.  
“Sons, we have two Mary.”  
“If I thought I could’ve saved him I would have done but then he would have told you about Axel. The boy messed up but he’s next in line love. You know that the kingdom needs him more than Hugo.” Garrick took a shattering breath  
“And Sofia?” he asked his voice light, at her name the queen changed. Her eyes glinted with evil and her mouth curled into a snarl.  
“Oh, the brat got what was coming to her, Hugo liked her. Can you believe that? She’s not even of royal blood. Everyone loves her but they only know her because her whore of a mother tricked the king into loving her!” Garrick took a step back; he didn’t know who the woman in front of him was but it sure wasn’t his wife. He turned to her with a steely look in his eye.  
“Well, whatever you had planned failed. As of tonight, Axel will be disowned and stripped of his royal titles and inheritance, Hugo will be named next in line for the throne. You, my dear, will be banished from my kingdom into Enchancia. They will decide your punishment and I will make our marriage null and void” then Garrick turned on his heel and left as his former wife pleaded for him to come back.


	14. Chapter 14

They had been home for six months and in those six months they had recovered greatly. Hugo was no longer wheelchair bound and they both began gaining control of their bodies. Flashbacks became less and less and they both smiled more. Unfortunately, they both had to see a therapist. That was where Sofia was currently. She hated therapy with all her being, hated it more than she hated Axel, which was a lot. She didn’t want to talk about her feelings, she didn’t want to have to relive every scar and yell. She wanted to forget, which unfortunately Mrs White didn’t get. The young woman insisted on weekly therapy sessions and refused to let Sofia miss a session. They usually sat in the living room, today however was different. Today Mrs White took Sofia to the ice rink.   
It was strange being back near ice after so long, she wanted to say she missed it but honestly the thought of skating now scared her.   
“Mrs White, what are we doing here?” Sofia asked. The therapist smiled at the princess warmly.  
“You see Sofia before you left you were an avid ice dancer as was Hugo. You say you want to move on, the only way to do that is to confront the thing that scares you most. If you can cross this ice I will tell your doctors that you no longer need to see me.” Sofia looked at the black-haired woman, perplexed. That was it? That was all she had to do?. Sofia smiled and walked closer to the ice with steely determination, she was going to prove she was fine.   
She took the ice shoes White had given her and took a step forward. The sound of metal hitting ice reverbed around the rink.  
They were skating, laughing as they enjoyed each other’s company.   
Then a larger step.  
Sofia saw them first, two men clad in black, weapons at the ready. Sofia screamed.  
She was halfway across the rink now and spared a glance backwards, Mrs White gave her a thumbs up.  
Hugo spun around shock on his face. He didn’t get a chance to speak as one of the men came up behind him. He grabbed Hugo around the neck, Hugo began kicking, his skates chipping the ice.  
“Sofia, Run”  
Her legs started trembling, she regretted going on the ice now.   
Sofia stood, frozen before getting an idea. She skated away from the scene and grabbed one of the hockey sticks that had been left before proceeding to beat the men with it.  
Just two more steps and she’d be there.   
One of the men lunged for her, swearing. Sofia stumbled back as the man grabbed her necklace and fell.   
Sofia looked back to find that Mrs White wasn’t there and started to panic, she was vulnerable on the ice. What if they come back?.  
Sofia skated to Hugo, tears running down her face, she had to get them out of there. He was struggling to breathe but used his breath to beg her to go. She couldn’t leave him, quickly she hooked his arm around her shoulders and pulled him up.   
Turning back, she took one more step.  
One of the men skated in front of her, snarling, she tried skating backwards only to feel a heavy object hit her skull as everything went black.  
She jumped onto the ground, dry heaving. Quickly she took off the ice shoes and threw them onto the ice, hearing them bounce off the ground. Pulling her leg up to her chest she started sobbing, a hand lay on her shoulder making her jump.  
“You did it Sofia, I’m proud of you” Mrs white said. Sofia jumped up and stumbled back  
“Get away from me!”  
“What?”  
“GET AWAY FROM ME!” Sofia screamed. Mrs White took a step back, terror written on her face. Sofia never got angry ever.  
“You think that walking across ice will fix me? It won’t! You are so stupid! I want to forget, why wont you let me forget?” her voice broke and she fell to the floor, a silence descending upon the two. The silence was broken by are roar of  
“What is going on?” Mrs White paled and tried to defend herself, saying she thought it would help Sofia.   
“You think this is helping? Sofia come on, let me take you inside and get you warm!” the voice said softly. Sofia nodded and followed him back inside, sending a glare to the woman left in the snow.

Cedric’s room hadn’t changed much in the few years she had been gone; it still was a mess with potions laying haphazardly everywhere. Sofia studied the place intrigued; it was good to know some things were still the same.   
“Sofia?” he said. Sofia looked up  
“Would you be okay if I used magic to dry you? You’ll stay fully clothed” Sofia nodded and a second later she was bone dry, Cedric then handed her some tea. She looked at him suspiciously.   
“It’s okay Sofia, it’s just an herbal remedy to calm nerves, if you want I can drink some so you know it’s not poisoned or anything” he offered. Sofia nodded shyly and Cedric took a sip, satisfied Sofia then took the cup and downed it. She placed the cup on the side and watched the sorcerer.   
He busied about, cleaning and adding ingredients to different potions. Sofia was confused, why wasn’t he trying to analyse her? That’s what everyone else did. Still, it was nice having some form of peace. As she continued to watch him she realised that Cedric was adding the wrong ingredient, fighting the urge to stay quiet she decided to tell him.  
“Uh Mr Cedric… you need the red flower not the yellow, the yellow turns it explosive!” she said timidly. Cedric checked the recipe and smiled when he realised that Sofia was indeed, correct.   
“Thank you Princess” Sofia scoffed.  
“Hmm I’m not much of a princess” Cedric turned around; his heart broke at the defeated look on Sofia’s face. He opened the door and sat down near Sofia but far enough away that if she got scared she could leave.  
“Of course, you’re a princess Sofia!” Sofia clenched her fists.   
“No, I’m not, I’m broken Mr Cedric. Everyone keeps asking how I’m doing but the truth is I don’t know!. Hugo has started spending time with James at the insistence of Mr Smith. I know I should be happy, and I am! Hugo finally has someone he can talk to… I guess. Mum and dad keep making things easier for me and Amber no longer pities the way I dress whilst James spends all his time hunting for Axel or hanging with Hugo. I feel numb Mr Cedric, I want it to stop. I want to feel something other than a dark numbness” She could feel the nail enter her skin as she ranted. Cedric blinked, shocked.  
“Sofia is it okay if I come closer?” he asked. Sofia beckoned him forward and Cedric placed a hand on hers.  
“Sofia it sounds like you have something called depression, do you know what that is?.” She shook her head and Cedric took a deep breath.  
“Depression can happen to anyone regardless of what had happened to them. It would make sense you’re suffering after what you have gone through. Depression is an illness that you can’t see, it makes you feel empty inside, like you’ll never experience joy again. It can make you angry or confused and sometimes depression makes you mix up your feelings. It can make you very tired. The thing is though Sofia with the right help Depression can be kept away, it’ll never go away I’m afraid, but you can learn to live with it.”   
Sofia didn’t want to admit it but that felt an awful like how she felt since being home. It scared her to think that something was causing the feeling of sheer hopelessness.  
“How do you keep it away then?” Cedric scrunched up his face.  
“You won’t like it, but you have to talk to people, really talk and be open. You can also exercise; it releases something called endorphins which is kind of like the brains happy juice. In severe cases I can make remedies to calm you but they are a last resort, medication is lifelong Sofia.” Sofia pondered what her friend said, she didn’t want to talk to a therapist, she didn’t like Mrs White, the woman was stupid. Suddenly she had an idea.  
“Mr Cedric can I talk to you about my issues? I trust you and maybe we can invite Hugo? I know he isn’t fond of Mr Smith.” Cedric thought over her offer and replied with a bargain.   
“I’m not a therapist Sofia but you can help me out as my apprentice and talk to me, free of judgement if you see a therapist once a fortnight and do some form of exercise.” Sofia wanted to argue but knew she had no choice.   
“Deal” she said, holding her hand out. Cedric took it and shook  
“Deal”

That night Sofia went to bed, at peace for the first time in months.


	15. Chapter 15

A month after Sofia’s meltdown the princess found herself chatting with her closest animal companions. She had missed them terribly and they her, still they had a job to do. Sofia remembered fondly when they had returned to the castle.   
It was the middle of the night when they reappeared. They gave no warning of their return so when Sofia woke up to a pitter patter of feet she panicked. She glanced to a sleeping Hugo beside her, she would protect him. Yet before she could move something landed on her bed, Sofia looked towards the object to find a bunny. A very familiar fluffy bunny.  
“Clover!” she whispered excitedly. The bunny grinned  
“Hey Sof” he then jumped into her arms as she brought him close to her chest. He sniffled slightly  
“How are you doing?” he asked. Sofia smiled shyly  
“I’m not great but I’m doing better!” she replied. It felt kind of awkward being able to talk to animals again. Whilst talking to Cedric she had been convinced to wear her necklace again. Still, as weird as it was it opened a whole different world for her again. She was interrupted from her musing when a light snore reached her ears. She turned to Hugo, who was deep in dreamland. She smiled softly; her smile was not unnoticed by Clover who made a mental not to discuss it with the princess later. Instead of talking about it Clover huffed  
“Just what is this Miss Sofia? Giving up my bed so quickly? Oh, I am wounded!” he yelled dramatically. He then grabbed his furry chest and fell backwards as Sofia giggled loudly.  
“Oh I have missed you Clover” she admitted wistfully. Clover grinned at her fondly  
“I missed you to Sof, more than you know.”  
In the present however Clover, Mia and Robin were chatting with Sofia in the stables. They were discussing how they had found Sofia when Hugo plopped down beside her.  
“You know people gone think you crazy talk to animals” he quipped, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Sofia rolled her eyes  
“They already think we’re crazy” she replied. Hugo chuckled slightly  
“We have post-traumatic stress said Smith” he announced. That too was a new development, both Sofia and Hugo had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. It was hard to live with, both of them sometimes zoned out of reality. They would relive their experiences again and again until they would just do nothing all day. The thought of getting out bed was sometimes too much for the prince and princess. Then to add to the mix was Hugo’s mums trial. After two months in prison the kingdom had finally arranged a trial for the former queen. Thankfully, most of the evidence was produced by James and Hugo’s father but the two of them still needed to provide their versions of the story. It was stressful to say the least. In fact, that’s why Sofia and Hugo were sat in the stables. Earlier In the day they had watched the final moments of her trial. They were currently waiting for the jury’s verdict.   
Sofia looked over to her animals friends.  
“You know apparently these three saved us” she told Hugo. The prince smirked  
“How?” he asked. Clover suddenly jumped to his feet, getting into a fighting stance.  
“You doubt me princey” he asked. Sofia laughed  
“Clover calm down and well apparently they had asked the wild forest creatures for help in looking for us. An ant in you know… there found us nd sent a message back. Then nature did its job and got us out of there.” The barn was silent for a minuet as the realisation sank in. Suddenly Hugo stared the rabbit in the eyes.   
“Thank you” he said sincerely. Clover nodded.   
They were interrupted by a guard who summoned them to the castle.  
Upon entering the castle, they were greeted by Bailywick. He handed them both a bottle  
“You must replenish yourselves, your highness. We can’t have you getting ill can we?” he chided. Sofia nodded but still didn’t drink the water, she looked at the steward who understood. He took the bottle and took a sip before handing it back to Sofia and doing the same with Hugo’s bottle. The pair smiled slightly and gulped down their drinks. When they had finished Bailywick took their bottles and handed them to a nearby servant before helping them upstairs.  
“Now the King has requested your presence, in about an hour the former queen, Hugo’s mother will be being sentenced. It is procedure in a trial that the victims be present for the sentencing.” The pair nodded solemnly. They knew the day was coming the just wished it hadn’t come so soon.   
Bailywick smiled at the young prince and princess but said nothing, after a few minuets of walking they reached the part of the castle that Sofia wasn’t allowed in. The trial rooms. It was manned at all time by armed guards as it was where all of Enchancia’s trials took place, a place where the most evil resided. Amber greeted them at the door, her usual bright gowns were replaced with a red, yellow, and blue suit. The colours of Enchancia.   
“You don’t have to do this, it’s procedure sure but exceptions can always be made” she offered. Sofia said nothing, this was Hugo’s mothers trial. She would do whatever he wanted. When she looked at him though she realised that he wasn’t Hugo at that moment. His face had turned to steel, it lacked al the warmth she associated with him. His entire posture scarily reminded her of being in the cage. He would laugh and joke with her then moments later he would morph into a machine, hiding his emotions so their attackers wouldn’t get any satisfaction. The only time that broke was when they hurt her.   
She took a deep breath to bring herself back to the present.   
“I think we… we have to do this” she spat. Amber nodded in understanding and let them in.


End file.
